loosie: words: Loosie’s Top 10 Hip Hop Albums Of 2003

Loosie’s Top 10 Hip Hop Albums Of 2003

The best of mainstream and underground crap.

by D. L. C. | 2003.12.31

We at Loosie understand nothing is blander than another smarmy Internet publication’s lists of Hip-Hop “must-haves”. It gets worse when the list is constructed by the website’s least prolific writer. However, we’ll try to give you our take on the year’s best offering in the genre of the boom and bap. For our convenience, we’ll divide the genre even further by making two top 5 lists: one for commercially available releases and for independent small scale releases.

Mainstream Crap

1. Outkast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (Laface)

Outkast’s latest double disc effort may not be the year’s best release but it certainly has enough ambition to at least be mentioned amongst the top in any musical category. Taking a risky maneuver of doing separate LP’s, the longtime duo embarked on journeys that seemed like the beginning of the end for most fans. Andre 3000, the confused romantic, has nearly abandoned emceeing – a skill he’s quite proficient in – for singing. Big Boi, both the doting dad and suave pimp, stayed his usual course, at least lyrically. However, the psychedelic funk and weirdness on “The Love Below” from Andre works well, no matter how badly you think it will fail. On the flip, Big Boi’s “Speakerboxxx” is definitely solid but bogged down by too many guest appearances. With both of their singles (“Hey Ya”, “I like the Way You Move” invading the airwaves and confusing the hell out of radio programmers alike, expect this to be another award-winning 2004 for those two dope boys in a Cadillac.

2. Jay-Z – The Black Album (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)

We’ve heard the retirement jive from Jigga before. We wanted to believe that he would prefer to groom his stable of upcoming artists. We want to believe it now because, quite frankly, he’s been a hot item for “8 summers” as he likes to remind us. We want him to do what Air Jordan should’ve done – pull out while you’re still relevant. Still, as swan songs go, “The Black Album” isn’t as satisfying as one would think. That isn’t to say the LP isn’t stocked to the wall with bangers. The first single, “Change Clothes”, was a slow cooker but the Neptunes have rarely missed this year, affording Jay to voice his usual swagger filled lines to perfection. The album was supposed to feature a single producer for each track – a novel concept many hoped would come to fruition. However, what we have are some newcomers such as Little Brother’s 9th Wonder providing a solid contribution for the track, “Threat”, and featuring some comical ad-libs from Cedric the Entertainer. The LP lags towards the end but finishes strong. We’ll see if Jay will collect those checks behind the desk or not.

3. Ludacris – Chicken ‘n’ Beer (Disturbing The Peace/Def Jam)

Ludacris is Hip Hop’s Parker Lewis. Every time you think it’s going to be a slow period for the big-voiced southern MC, he shocks you with a left hook to the temple. The first single, “Stand Up”, and produced by production wizard Kanye West, is a front runner for single of the year. For his 3rd release, Cris is doing more of the same: Crisp, clear rhymes about drinking, smoking, partying and sex. And it’s pretty much in that order. Don’t put on a Ludacris disc expecting mental and spiritual enlightenment. Weak guest appearances aside from his Disturbing the Peace crew mates, this is an album you can bank on being all that you expect from Luda.

4. 50 Cent – Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ (Shady Records/Aftermath)

50 Cent’s meteoric rise to superstardom didn’t come without the requisite amount of hard knocks. We’ve heard the legendary tales of him being shot, his surgically repaired jaw and the like. We know he’s a gym rat. He was allegedly still dealing drugs in Queens when he had his first recording deal in the late 90’s. Apparently this made him endearing to millions of urban and suburban fans for some odd reason. And as authentic as 50’s street credibility is, the one thing that isn’t in question is his ability to make a song. He’s not overtly lyrical nor does he posses the charisma of the artists we’ve mentioned in the early entries – but he can churn out tunes at a car factory rate. “In Da Club” was easily the club banger of the summer with little radio competition at the time. Everything 50 Cent touched has turned to gold and we expect this trend to last at least another year with his simple yet effective hit making ability.

5. Gang Starr – The Owners (Virgin)

Of all the commercially available Hip Hop releases of the year, this was amongst the highly anticipated. However, the public wasn’t ready to hear Gang Starr in ’03 – especially when their last release was in 1998. The layoff may have hurt the momentum they should have capitalized on after their last Gold-selling effort, “Moment Of Truth”. Commercial failure or not, it was disappointing that Virgin didn’t get behind this project on the promotion end. The first single, “Skills”, should have been large on the radio and did a lot to silence the DJ Premier naysayers who claim his formulaic style of production was becoming archaic. The album isn’t mind-blowing but it was definitely solid – we’d recommend you give it more than a casual listen. Hopefully this won’t be the final release on a major for these Hip Hop vets.

Not So Mainstream Crap

1. Viktor Vaughn – Vaudeville Villain (Sound Ink)

Daniel Dumile, the ringleader behind the alter egos of MF Doom, Zev Love X and King Geedorah brings forth another alias: Viktor Vaughn. Truth be told, there isn’t much of a difference in the rhyme patterns of Dumile’s various aliases or concepts. What remains a constant, however, is how incredibly fresh he keeps his lyrical content. Dumile may be Hip-Hop’s most gifted writer and with this latest project, he proves he can rock over any beat with ease. The tracks from King Honey, Heat Sensor, Max Bill and RJD2 are quite a leap from the simple loops and breaks from MF Doom’s “Operation Doomsday”. Depending on which of the production styles you’re accustomed to hearing from Dumile will determine your love or hate for the album. Honestly, it’s all about Vaughn’s rhymes – the beats are consistently overshadowed by his hazy, raspy vocals save for RJD2’s contribution, “Saliva”. This isn’t to say that the beat platters aren’t well done; it’s just that if you’re going into this album for the head nod factor, you’ll miss out on the outstanding lyrical ability this man possesses.

2. Ugly Duckling – Taste The Secret (Emperor Norton)

Who says good, clean-living Hip-Hop music can’t be funky? The trio of MC’s Andy Cooper and Dizzy Dustin and their DJ/Producer, Young Einstein, is certainly one of underground Hip-Hop’s most maligned groups. Often accused of being a bit too goody-goody and throwback, they’ve still managed to inspire a decent cult following since their debut in 1997. This isn’t the album for the backpacker as Ugly Duckling will never be known as the most lyrical groups ever. In fact, their rhymes may turn off a great number of people who expect a little edge or spite with their music. If you give this album a chance, you’ll discover that Young Einstein’s already stellar production has evolved greatly and you won’t find another act that pokes this much fun at itself and seems to enjoy doing so. Fans of earlier De La Soul material should flock to this with immediacy.

3. Semi-Official – The Anti-Album (Rhymesayers Entertainment)

The combined forces of underground artists I Self Divine (Of Micranots fame) and Abilities (Eyedea’s DJ) is a return to old-fashioned Boom Bap. Semi-Official, like the aforementioned Ugly Duckling, has managed to recreate and capture a sound long thought of as extinct. Armed with hard drums, memorable choruses, amazing turntablism from Abilities and passionate rhymes from I Self, Semi-Official breathes new hope into the often stagnant underground scene. Throw in a guest appearance from MF Doom on “Songs In The Key Of Trife” and you have damn near a perfect album. Hopefully these two will collaborate on future projects.

4. S.A. Smash – Smashy Trashy (Definitive Jux)

Definitive Jux is the label of the future – or so many underground Hip Hop fans hope. El-P’s visionary label has produced some of the better albums on the indie circuit in the last 2 years: Murs’ “The End Of The Beginning”, Mr. Lif’s “I Phantom” and C-Rayz’s “Ravipops". But we’re sure none of the devoted Jukie fans were expecting the left turn that is S.A. Smash. Consisting of Ohio natives Camu Tao (of Weathermen/Mhz fame) and Metro, S.A. Smash are the party animals of Def Jux. It’s all about bitches, brew, blunts and booty for these two. If this album was released by a larger label and had a budget behind it, it’d sell well. It has the common simple flow and hook-heavy formula many come to expect from more well known rappers. The comical edge of it all is that you know full well they’re making fun of the mainstream rap scene – yet the whole time doing it better than their contemporaries.

5. Soul Position – 8 Million Stories (Rhymesayers Entertainment)

Is Ohio becoming a hotbed of quality indie talent? It certainly seems that way with Columbus natives Blueprint and RJD2 joining forces to form Soul Position. Blueprint, a talented if understated MC, shines over producer RJD2’s sonic soul. RJD2 may be underground Hip Hop’s best producer and with tracks this solid, Blueprint didn’t have to crack the ballpoint in half – although his showing compliments the tracks well. It requires a few listens to fully sink in but whether you’re listening to your walkman or in your ride, you will nod your head repeatedly.